Pforzheim in Geography,Continents,Europe,States,Germany,Cities

Pforzheim

Basic data:

Population::	119.156 (31 Dec 2006)
Area:	98.03 km²
State:	Baden-Wurttemberg
Administrative district:	Karlsruhe
Circle:	District of Pforzheim

Geography:

The city is located on the northern edge of the eastern Black Forest at the transition to the Kraichgau hills in a valley extension at the confluence of the Würm, Nagold and Enz rivers. The early settlement by the Romans is also due to the extraordinary geography of Pforzheim. Due to its geography, the city later became an important trading center for rafting

City structure:

Pforzheim is divided into 16 districts.

history:

The first mention goes back to a document from the Roman Leugenstein von Friolzheim, which referred to the Roman settlement of Portus. This is on the Roman military road between the Upper Rhine and Neckar regions, where the long-distance trade and military road crosses the Enz in a ford. Rafting was probably already established in the Roman settlement at this time.

Large-scale constructions begun in the 3rd century suggest that the small craftsmen's settlement was to be expanded into an administrative center. In 259 and 260, the Franks and Alemanni conquered the areas of the Roman Empire on the right bank of the Rhine, and the settlement of Portus was destroyed in the process. After that, the tradition about the settlement breaks off for the time being.

In the 6th and 7th centuries, finds from rows of graves and the place name Pforzheim indicate the continuity of the settlement. The "old town" of Pforzheim later grew over the Roman settlement. A testament to this time is, among other things, the excavation site at the Kappelhof, which is located in the basement of the Caritas building. In 1067, Pforzheim was first mentioned in a document from Emperor Heinrich IV. Around 1080, the settlement received market rights. In the 12th century, the "old town" was characterized by a monastery and church, and in 1220 the Margraves of Baden chose Pforzheim as their residence. The focus is shifting in favor of the "New Town" and the "Old Town" is becoming less and less important. A mayor of Pforzheim is mentioned for the first time in 1240.

In 1447, the marriage of the Baden Margrave Charles I to Catherine of Austria was celebrated with great splendor. Under the leadership of Johannes Reuchlin, the Pforzheim Latin School developed into one of the most important schools of learning in southern Germany, whose teachers and students played an important role in the spread of humanism and the Reformation. One of the most famous students was Philipp Melanchthon, the nephew of Johannes Reuchlin.

Rafting is one of the oldest trades in Pforzheim. Single trunks and small rafts are rafted from the Black Forest, which are tied to large rafts in the Pforzheimer Au for the lower Enz and the Neckar/Rhine water line. At that time, Pforzheim also had a customs station for raftsmen, where a fee had to be paid.

From 1535 to 1565, Pforzheim became the residence of the Margraves of Baden-Durlach when the Baden lands were inherited. At the beginning of the Thirty Years' War, the city had a population of around 2,500 - 3,000 and was the largest city of the Margraves of Baden. By this time, Pforzheim had already lost a lot of its importance, partly because many upper-class families left the city in the 15th century. At the end of the Thirty Years' War in 1645, the "Old Town" was burned down by Bavarian troops. After that, Pforzheim was rebuilt without fortifications, which sealed the status of a village-like hamlet. Pforzheim initially disappears from historiography, apart from a few marginal notes.

The "New Town", on the other hand, is still there, in the 13th century.From the 15th century to the 15th century, Pforzheim flourished economically thanks to the active support of the Margraves of Baden. Among other things, the timber trade, rafting and tool making contributed to the wealth of the city in addition to the crafts, and 3 religious orders settled in the city. From 1689 to 1697, the War of the Palatinate Succession caused great destruction in south-west Germany. Pforzheim was plundered and burned down three times by French troops.

In 1718 the Pforzheim orphanage was opened in the building of the former Dominican convent, from which later the jewelery and watch industry that still exists today emerges. It was founded in 1967 by Margrave Karl-Friedrich, when a watch factory was set up in the orphanage to employ the orphans, and jewelery was added later. The company developed quickly and soon exported all over the world. Around 1800, Pforzheim had about 900 factories and was considered "Baden's first factory town", many of the approximately 26,000 employees came from the surrounding area. In 1809 the Baden office of Pforzheim was divided into a city office and a first and second district office, with the first and second district offices being reunited in 1813 to form the district office of Pforzheim. In 1819 the Pforzheim town and state offices were combined to form the Pforzheim district office, which was transferred to the Pforzheim district office in 1864.

In 1836, Ferdinand Oechsle invented the must scale, which is still used today to measure the must weight of the grape juice in degrees Oechsle. The construction of the Karlsruhe-Mühlacker railway line took place between 1861 and 1863. In 1868 and 1874, with the construction of the Enz Valley Railway and the Nagold Valley Railway, the 2 large Black Forest valleys were also connected to the railway, which marked the end of rafting. In 1888, Pforzheim was the destination of the first overland journey in an automobile by Bertha Benz and her two sons.

In the 19th century, the industrial center of the Grand Duchy of Baden was formed by the jewellery, textile and metal factories. The destruction of the city in 1945 ended this heyday for the time being. During Kristallnacht, the synagogue in Pforzheim was desecrated and badly damaged. In 1939, Pforzheim became the seat of the district of Pforzheim and became independent of a district itself. The last Jews are deported from Pforzheim in 1940, and hardly any of them return to the city after the end of the war. At the end of 1944, at least 10,000 workers worked for the armaments industry in Pforzheim.

On February 23, 1945, Pforzheim was almost completely destroyed in an air raid. Within 22 minutes, around 17,600 people died. After Hamburg and Dresden, the attack on Pforzheim suffered the most human casualties and 98% of the city area was destroyed.

After the end of the war, Pforzheim was rebuilt by its citizens. From 1945 - 1948 the city was under US military administration, but then came to the French zone. Pforzheim grew again by taking in displaced persons, refugees, emigrants and guest workers. Today's townscape is also characterized by the style of the 1950s. In 1955 the Reuchlin Prize was donated by Pforzheim. On July 10th, 1968 the tornado hits Pforzheim, as a result of which 2 people die and over 200 are injured, 2300 houses are damaged afterwards.

In the course of the district reform on January 1, 1973, the district of Pforzheim merged into the newly formed Enzkreis, whose seat became the city of Pforzheim, Pforzheim itself remained independent of a district. Even the city becomes the seat of the newly formed Northern Black Forest region, in 1975 Pforzheim becomes a major city after the incorporation of Huchenfeld. In 1992, Pforzheim hosted the Baden-Württemberg State Horticultural Show. Since the beginning of the turn of the century, numerous districts of Pforzheim have been completely renovated, and various commercial areas have increased in size by 20 - 50%.

Sights:

Archaeological site of Kappelhof

Rural Museum Eutingen

DDR Museum

House of the Compatriots

Mineral Museum

City Gallery Pforzheim

Jewelry Museum

Technical Museum

Roman estate in the Chancellor Forest

Old and New Town Hall on the Market Square

Liebeneck Castle Ruins

Castle and Collegiate Church of St. Michael

Old Town Church

Barefoot Church

Matthew Church

Old Water Tower

Memorial on the Wallberg

Sculpture Trail

Wildlife park with high ropes course